The present invention relates generally to very inexpensive accumulators which may be disposed of rather than repaired when they fail.
In the past, disposable accumulators typically depended on squeeze on the bladder or continuous bead welding to seal the gas and the fluid of the accumulator from the atmosphere. Expensive threaded or rolled connections were used to provide for squeeze on the bladder for sealing, but pulsation and flexing of the bladder tended to generate leakage when the seal was dependent of squeeze. Continuous bead welding provided an acceptable seal, but was a difficult process to control and often resulted in thermal damage to the bladder during the manufacturing process.
The present invention provides a positive gas and fluid seal while reducing the manufacturing cost.
The above and additional advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the acompanying drawings.